


Keep the Dogs at Bay

by Skyshadow3246, Wolfloner



Series: Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces [18]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Norse Religion & Lore, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: 4k word of PLOT, Alternate Norse Religion & Lore, Curses, Established Relationship, Giant birds, I really didn't plan on Thor being so antagnostic, Loki is a Good Dad, M/M, Magic, Odin's A+ Parenting, Oops, References to Norse Religion & Lore, but here we are, fight me, oh boy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-13
Updated: 2018-09-13
Packaged: 2019-07-12 00:13:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15983480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyshadow3246/pseuds/Skyshadow3246, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfloner/pseuds/Wolfloner
Summary: When he awoke, the sun hadn’t yet begun to rise. Tony wasn’t even sure when he’d fallen asleep, but he was curled up on the couch with a blanket draped over him. Which meant either Loki was awake, or they had a very courteous intruder.





	Keep the Dogs at Bay

**Author's Note:**

> So, the plus side of having some interesting health issues crop up (I'll be ok, no worries!) is that I have LOADS of time to write right now.

_ When the leaves turn brown and all hope is lost _

_ Make no sound and brush emotion's off _

_ Breed inside, a fear that leaves you soft _

_ Breath a sigh and write that epitaph _

\--Seether,  _ Keep the Dogs at Bay _

 

Loki didn't say anything more that night, at least not about what happened to him, or about Váli  and Narfi. But he had cried. Cried out all the pain and grief and rage he’d been repressing for--who knows how long. Years? Decades? Centuries? Tony couldn’t begin to guess. How much time had to have passed before Loki could have stood to be in the same room as Odin? It was obvious he’d never forgiven it, and never forgotten. As the god had sobbed and shook he felt very  _ young _ . Maybe he was? Two thousand years was probably nothing at all for an immortal being. 

 

Tony didn’t know how much time passed before Loki’s crying subsided. But once it did Loki allowed himself to be gently lead back to their bedroom, and tucked in. He didn’t even immediately complain that Tony didn’t join him, and seemed to accept Tony’s whispered, “I’ll be nearby if you need me,” with ease.

 

For a lack of other things to do, Tony looked over the footage from the cell phone he had taken from the campsite. The owner’s name was Bradley. From what he’d been able to glean, he and one of the other men might have been family, but it was impossible to say for certain without running background checks. He didn’t save any of his contacts with last names, and most people seemed to only have nicknames. He also took way too many pictures of food. Not even just things from nicer restaurants, or home-made fare, but things that he’d gotten from fast food places. Who took pictures of their chicken nuggets, honestly? Well, Brad did, apparently. 

 

There wasn’t anything particular special about the man, at least not that Tony could find from his phone. He had a lot of friends, and loved taking pictures. Tony pegged him at mid to late 20s. From the metadata from the photographs, it looked like he had lived in London for the better part of the last 4 years, at least. 

 

The footage from the campsite didn’t shed any light on anything that they hadn’t already figured out. There were no frames of the archer that held more than a blur, but the red color matched that of the giant wolf, so it made sense that it could be the same being. Person. God? Half-god? He couldn’t help wondering what Váli’s mother had been like. Was she a god? Was she still alive? If not, had Odin killed her as well? And if so, what had happened to her? Tony wasn’t sure if it was even any of his business. 

 

* * *

 

When he awoke, the sun hadn’t yet begun to rise. Tony wasn’t even sure when he’d fallen asleep, but he was curled up on the couch with a blanket draped over him. Which meant either Loki was awake, or they had a very courteous intruder. He took a moment to fold the blanket after he stood up before padding back to the bedroom. Loki wasn’t there. He couldn’t explain the sense of unease that crawled up his spine at the empty room, or the strange abandoned feeling that weighed heavy on the penthouse.

 

He poked his head into Loki’s room. No god there, either. More importantly, Loki’s journal, the only item that had never migrated to their shared room, was missing. Something dark and suffocating twisted around his chest. Of course it had only been a matter of time before Loki left. Why on earth would he  _ stay _ ? 

 

“Loki?” He called out, trying to keep his voice unaffected. He hadn’t expected an answer, but he had still  _ hoped.  _ “JARVIS, where is he?” When JARVIS didn’t immediately reply, the dark  _ something _ squeezed. “JARVIS?” He asked again, after half a minute had passed. Still nothing. He took off towards his workshop, the only place JARVIS could be powered down. He swore as he waited for the elevator to drop.

 

“Loki?” Tony asked incredulously once the doors opened. He had expected Loki to be long gone, not in the deepest sub-basement in the city. He heard something drop, and Loki swearing. “Not even going to say goodbye?”

 

He didn’t turn to face him. “I couldn’t have you follow me,” he said quietly.

 

Tony swallowed heavily, and did his best to shove down the painful emotions that threatened to make themselves known. “I wouldn’t have.” He walked past Loki, pulling up a monitor and resetting JARVIS. “If you’re tired of  _ this _ , and want to leave...I won’t stop you.”

 

“The fuck are you on about?” Tony looked up at Loki’s befuddled tone. 

 

“You’re leaving.”

 

“Right. To find my son.” It had been a while since Loki had worn his,  _ I don’t want you to know what I’m feeling  _ expression. Long enough that Tony had started taking his ability to read him for granted. “Did you just jump to the conclusion that I was leaving  _ you _ ?”

 

Of course he had. “Why the hell else would you turn off JARVIS and try to sneak away?”

 

“I knew you wouldn’t just  _ let me _ leave.”

 

“Of course I would let you leave! Váli’s your kid!” 

 

“He’s killing people. Something you and your merry band of heroes like to put a stop to.”

 

“Well, yeah. I mean, we can’t just leave him like that. But you said he’s under a spell, right? That Odin fucked with his mind? I’m going to assume he wasn’t a murderer before that.”

 

“He was a child!” Loki hissed.

 

“So, not a murderer?” Loki’s looked offended, which, that might be fair. But given how easily Loki could slip into killing to meet his ends, it wasn’t exactly a given that Váli wasn’t the same. “Right. So, we find him, we help him. The Avengers aren’t in the habit of killing people who can’t help what they’re doing.”

 

“Didn’t you lot nearly kill Bucky?”

 

That was  _ definitely  _ fair. “Only because we thought we had no other choice. Once Steve got through to him, our strategy changed completely.”

 

There was a beeping sound as JARVIS came back online.

 

“And if I can’t get through to him?”

 

Tony hesitated. Setting aside the men at the campsite, Váli had sent Fjalar. Had manipulated the man in the spherical machine. Whatever the situation, he was still incredibly dangerous, and couldn’t be left to roam unfettered. “I won’t let him die. We’ll figure something out.”

 

“I won’t ask you to fight your friends.”

 

“Then don’t ask. It won’t come to that.” Tony hoped that was the truth. He didn’t really want to have to fight off the other Avengers, either. “And if it does… well, then it does.” 

 

* * *

 

They only stalled long enough to Tony to don the latest Iron Man suit--Mark XLVIII. While they both desperately hoped they weren’t walking into a battle, Tony was unwilling to go in defenseless again. He’d already had one nightmare from the brief encounter with Váli, he didn’t want to risk it coming true. 

 

It also turned out that passing through the Realm Between Realms while while wearing his armor was enough to leave him cold and shaken. He was eternally grateful for Loki’s patience, however strained it might have been. 

 

“What are you two doing here?” 

 

Tony didn’t open his eyes until the last wave of nausea had passed. Bruce, his favorite nuclear physicist, stood at the outskirts of the Asgardians’ encampment, looking bewildered by their attendance.

 

“What are  _ you _ doing here?” Tony asked back.

 

Bruce shrugged as he walked over to meet them. “Hulk likes it here,” he said in way of explanation. As if that didn’t just bring up a whole host of new questions. How did Bruce and Hulk communicate? How did he know Hulk liked it here?  _ Why  _ did Hulk like it here? Well, no. That last part made sense. Everything Tony had learned about Asgard gave him the impression that Hulk would fit right in with the battle-loving aliens and gods. Besides, hadn’t Thor mentioned that he and Hulk had become friends?

 

“We’re looking for someone,” Loki said simply.

 

“Oh, yeah? Maybe I can help. Who’re you looking for?”

 

“You haven’t seen a giant fire wolf anywhere, have you?” Tony asked, trying to keep his tone light.

 

His tone didn’t help, and Bruce frowned. “Nope. No giant wolves.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Why… why a giant wolf? Why giant animals?” He cast a look back towards the encampment, “Should I go get Thor?”

 

“Hey, breathe.” Tony withdrew the metal from around his hand so that he could press his skin against the side of Bruce’s face. “You’re ok.” He glanced back at Loki, who hesitated before giving a sharp nod. “But yeah, let’s go find Thor.”

 

Bruce shook his head, “It’s probably better if Loki stays out here. Didn’t someone try to stab you the other day?”

 

“Tried.” Loki confirmed, sounding disinterested. 

 

Bruce shot him an uneasy look. “Just stay here, alright. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

 

“You think Thor’ll help?” Tony asked as they watched Bruce’s retreating form.

 

“I do,” Loki said, sounding confident. “Váli is family, after all.”

 

It was several long minutes before Bruce returned, Thor racing ahead of him. 

 

“A giant wolf?” Thor asked instead of offering a greeting. He was dressed for battle. “One of your ilk, brother?”

 

He caught Loki’s eyes narrowing minutely, but only for a moment. “One of  _ your  _ kin,” he said cooly. “Váli.”

 

Thor looked surprised but delighted, and then confused. “I believed Váli to be dead.”

 

“So did I.” 

 

Thor was frowning, concentration furrowing his brows. “Was he the one who corrupted Fjalar?”

 

Loki nodded, “And the one who shot those men.”

 

“What about the rest?” Bruce asked.

 

“What rest?” Tony looked over at Loki, but he seemed just as curious about Bruce’s statement as he was.

 

“You didn’t tell them?” Bruce gave Thor an exasperated look.

 

“It was being handled.”

 

“What was being handled, Thor?” Loki demanded.

 

Thor looked guilty--uncomfortable. “There have been other incidents,” he said after a moment. “Animals going missing. Asgardians disappearing. Our people dying.”

 

“Why wasn’t I told?” Loki sounded wounded. “Why not saying anything until--” He cut himself off. “Oh. I see.” He turned on his heel and started off away from the encampment. Away from Thor. Away from the Asgardians who so easily blamed him for their misfortune. 

 

“Loki!” Thor called after him.

 

Loki ignored him, “You coming, Stark?” he called back.

 

“Wait!” Bruce was jogging to keep up with them. “What’s the plan? Who’s Váli?”

 

“My son. The plan is to find him.”

 

“And then what?”

 

“We break the spell that has poisoned his mind.”

 

Bruce looked more than a little frustrated by Loki’s answers. Tony glanced back to see that Thor was trailing along after them. Giving Loki space?

 

“That’s what I’m asking, Loki. How?”

 

Loki didn’t stop, but he did slow down to a walk. “I’m not sure. I don’t know enough about the spell. I’ve never exactly had much of a chance to study it.”

 

“You said it was the same spell that hit Peter, though, right?” Tony asked. Loki nodded. “Well, you broke that one pretty easily. That’s a good sign.”

 

“But we don’t have an actual plan?” Bruce asked.

 

“Not as such, no.”

 

“How do you intend to draw him out?” Thor asked, now keeping pace with them.

 

“He’s after me, isn’t he? Hopefully all that is needed is my presence.” 

 

They walked in a tense silence until Tony recognized the lake where they had seen Váli. “You think he’ll show himself here again?”

 

Loki stopped, looking off towards the valley. “I don’t know. All I can do is try to recreate as many variables as I can.”

 

Tony nodded, because, yeah, that was all they could do. They stood and waited. Tony was glad for his armor, keeping away the chill from the air. 

 

“We could call out for him?” Thor suggested.

 

That wound up being unnecessary, as the sight of something large and red rounded the hill. Except it was much too dark of a red, and it was covered in large thick feathers rather than fur. “Another one?” Tony asked, bewildered by the giant rust-red rooster that had appeared.

 

“It could be worse!” Thor roared over the sound of its movements. With a crack of thunder and a wild battle-hungry gleam in his eye, Stormbreaker appeared in his outstretched arm. “There were three!”

 

Tony just barely kept from jumping as Hulk joined in Thor’s gleeful laughter. 

 

“Hulk, wait!” Loki called out as Hulk rushed towards the rooster. But he was heedless of Loki’s request, launching himself into the air and punching the beast across the face.

 

Tony was airborne in the next moment, unwilling to try to fight from the ground. 

 

“Why should he wait?” Thor asked, poised to enter the fray himself.

 

“I have to see if I can break the spell’s hold on it’s mind.” Loki explained, as he tried to get closer to the bird. After several aborted attempts he let out a growl. “If you won’t back down, then at least hold it still!”

 

Hulk seemed to prefer that suggestion, and bodily tackled the rooster to the ground, clinging to its throat.

 

One wing and its two legs still flailed wildly, leaving Loki to have to try to approach its head. 

 

“Hang on, I’ve got this,” Tony shot out four grappling chains. He wasn’t sure how long they could hold it down, but it was forced to be still for at least a few moments.

 

Taking the opening, Loki shot forward, sinking his hand between the feathers on the rooster’s face. It screeched at the contact, pulling itself free from the ground, one of the chains whipping through the air and colliding with Tony’s side, wrapping around him and sending him hurtling towards the ground. 

 

“Shit.” Was all he managed to squeak out before he hit the stone outcropping.

 

“No substantial damage, Sir,” JARVIS informed him.

 

“Please, stop this!” A voice rang out across the battlefield as Tony scrambled to his feet from where the rooster had knocked him down. A woman--judging by the sound of her voice, and what little Tony could make out from that distance--was slowly walking towards the rooster. It lunged at her, but she was unphased, her sleek black hair billowing back behind her.

 

As he rushed back towards the bird, he could hear her speaking in soft, soothing tones. He thought she might be crying as she reached up and placed a hand on it’s giant breast. A flash of green light--not unlike what Tony had come to associate with Loki’s magic--pulsed over the bird before emerald green flames--definitely reminiscent of Loki--swallowed the beast. In moments all that remained was a pile of ashes.

 

Tony landed a careful distance away, desperately hoping that whatever this new being was, she was friendly. He  _ really _ didn’t want to have to fight something that could so easily decimate a creature that had taken his and Thor’s teamwork ages to defeat.

 

But Loki was running towards her, and he could catch snippets of words spoken in a language he didn’t recognize. He watched as they embraced and, despite being easily a head taller than Loki, he picked her up as if she weighed nothing and spun them in circles, laughing joyfully.

 

It was only after Thor raced over to greet her that Tony snapped out of his reverie and moved closer himself. Hulk was already nearby, staring dismayingly at the pile of ashes.

 

From a distance Tony had been able to tell that she was beautiful. But as he got closer, he found that she was equally as frightening. Roughly half of her body--that Tony could see--seemed to be dead and rotting away. He could see muscle and bones peeking through off-colored flesh. The entirety of her right hand was nothing but bones with only shreds of ligaments holding them together. All of her skin, even what he supposed was probably healthy-looking, was a pale shade of blue. As he neared he could see the raised markings that covered her exposed skin--unequivocally that of a Jötunn. 

 

He held up a hand in a wave. She turned to look at him as he flipped his faceplate up, and he took in the bright red of her eye--she only had the one. “Thanks for...whatever it was you did.”

 

Her voice was very sad as she spoke, “I put him out of his misery.” Her eye narrowed and she turned back to Loki, “That spell was The AllFather’s. I would know the stench of his sorcery anywhere.” Thor interrupted her with a scoff, which the woman and Loki both ignored. “But The AllFather is dead. So, who?”

 

Tony stood by awkwardly as Loki gave a quick explanation of the chain of events that had lead them there, including their previous encounter with Fjalar, and how the curse it had laid on Peter.

 

“Váli?” She asked in unrestrained mirth. “He’s alive?” Her joy at the news was much closer to the reaction Tony had expected from Thor. Her smile faded after a moment, “He killed my friend.”

 

“Scare lady killed bird,” Hulk corrected.

 

“I freed him,” she replied. She blinked up at Hulk, then looked back at Tony. “Norns! Where are my manners? You have no idea who I am, do you?”

 

“Introductions!” Thor boomed, draping an arm around the woman’s shoulders. “Anthony, Hulk,, this is Hel Lokadóttir, Princess of Asgard--”

 

“I am no princess, and certainly no Asgardian.” She shoved Thor’s arm off and sidestepped away, barely concealed contempt clear on her face.

 

The specifics of her argument fell on deaf ears, as Tony pieced together what he’d just heard. “Loka… You’re Loki’s  _ daughter _ ?” Well, it wasn’t as if he couldn’t see the family resemblance. His mind scrambled to recall what little Loki had shared about her. She had been born from a union between himself and another giant. A powerful god in her own right. The warmth and excitement from their reunion made sense as well.

 

“I am,” she reached out and took his gauntleted hands in her own, and he could feel the sharp chill seep through his armor.

 

“But not a princess?” He asked carefully, curiosity getting the better of him.

 

“I am the Guardian of the Dead,” she explained easily. “I care of those who, like me, The AllFather felt he had no use for.” Seeming to sense his lack of understanding, she continued, “Only those who die in battle are granted passage to Valhalla. All others would languish pitifully in Niflheim, until I came. Now they are able to reside in Helheim--under my protection.” Tony could see Loki’s pride matched her own at her declaration. “And you, Anthony? Who are you?”

 

“Please, call me Tony. I’m--”

 

“Hey!” Hulk bellowed. Hel dropped Tony’s hands, startled by the sudden noise. “Third rooster?” When the group looked around wildly, Hulk groaned. “Not here. Where?”

 

“What?” Loki asked.

 

“You said there three. Avengers fight one. We fight one. Where third?”

 

“A wonderful observation, Hulk!” Thor beamed up at him. “Should we assume that Váli will also attempt to corrupt Gullinkambi?”

 

Tony could only assume that Gullinkambi was the name of the third rooster. “There’s not much worry of that happening,” Hel said calmly. “Even if he did, Gullinkambi would never get past Fenfen.”

 

A brief shudder passed through Thor, “You still call him Fenfen?”

 

She looked unimpressed. “Why shouldn’t I?” She challenged.

 

“Do you think Gullinkambi would have to pass by Fenrir to reach Midgard?” Loki asked, interrupting the argument. “Did he,” he gestured towards the pile of ash, “have to make it past you?”

 

Hel frowned, “He… No. I realized he was missing and gave chase.” Her hand balled into a tight fist. “He shouldn’t have been able to leave Niflheim.” She looked up at Hulk, “Thank you. You are correct, sweet Hulk.” She patted his arm with her flesh-covered hand. “We should try to intercept him.”

 

“Intercept Váli?” Tony clarified.

 

“That poses its own set of problems, of course. How are we to get to Valhalla?” Thor asked. “The passage was through Asgard-That-Was.”

 

“The Bifrost?” Hel suggested.

 

“The Bifrost doesn’t go to Valhalla,” Thor said patiently.

 

“I mean, it  _ could _ .” Loki said.

 

“No, it can’t. It’s never been able to.”

 

“Never been able to…  _ yet _ .” Loki corrected. “It can be done. Technically.”

 

Tony and Hulk shared bewildered looks. He couldn’t help but feel grateful that he wasn’t the only lost mortal in the conversation.

 

Hel’s expression was bright and conspiratorial as she asked, “Oh, Faðir, what have you done?”

 

“Loki, what did you do?” Thor asked as the same time.

 

“The thing about the Bifrost is that it can go  _ anywhere _ . So long as it has a key.”

 

“ _ Loki _ .” Thor’s tone was wary.

 

Loki grinned and held his hand out with the flourish that usually signalled him drawing something from what Tony had taken to calling his pocket dimension. Loki had told him that he was oversimplifying it, but hadn’t yet taken the time to elaborate on how.

 

Hulk took a few steps closer to examine Loki’s empty hand. He gave him a solid jab in the ribs with his finger. “Nothing there!”

 

“I can see that, Hulk,” Loki snapped, sounding as confused as he looked. He ran a hand through his hair, “Where would I have put it?”

 

“Put what?” Tony asked.

 

“The Gjǫll.”

 

“Gjǫll?” Tony echoed. “The weird rock thing you gave Peter?”

 

“Right! Yes!” Loki clapped his hands together. “That’s where it went!”

 

Thor looked mystified, “Why would you give him a piece of Gjǫll? Why would you  _ have  _ one?”

 

“What does it do?” Tony continued the line of questioning.

 

“On its own? Nothing. It’s a rock.” 

 

“Norns.” Tony heard Thor mutter.

 

“So you gave Peter a rock?”

 

“I gave him several rocks,” Loki corrected. “And together with the singing stones, it’s not  _ just a rock _ . It’s a key.”

 

“Boring.” Hulk announced.

 

“Please quiet yourself,” Hel spoke kindly to Hulk before turning her attention back to Loki. “I don’t understand, why give away something like that?”

 

“Because I can’t use it. I could make it just fine, of course. That part was easy. But if I couldn’t be the one to use it, I wanted to make sure it went to someone I could trust. Someone who would never think to use it to hurt Fenrir.”

 

“We are not dealing with Fenrir!” Thor growled. “We aren’t going anywhere near the Gjǫll.”

 

Thor’s reaction surprised Tony. He’d seemed more than happy to see Hel, why wouldn’t he also be happy to see his nephew? 

 

“Going past the Gjǫll is the only way to get to Valhalla. You don’t have to come,” Loki snarled back before Tony had a chance to voice any of his questions. “You aren’t keeping me from my son.” 

 

“You can’t be trusted to go alone! You won’t be impartial.”

 

He could see Loki mouth the word,  _ impartial _ . Whatever reaction Tony might have expected from Loki, it wasn’t the cold silence that emanated from him. When he finally spoke, he could barely hear Loki’s words, “Are you threatening my children?”

 

Hulk took a step away from the gods, his eyes shifted quickly between them. Even Hulk was bordering on anxiety from the energy crackling around them.

 

“Fenrir is dangerous,” Thor said pleadingly, “I would take no joy in it, brother. But our people are dying.”

 

Hel stepped fluidly away, coming to stand beside Tony. She didn’t look surprised, only resigned. “Damn,” she said quietly, probably only to herself.

 

He was honestly having a hard time believing what was happening in front of him. Thor was, what? Threatening to hurt Váli or Fenrir? Thor knew that Váli wasn’t himself, wasn’t in control of his actions. But Thor had also failed to realize when Loki had behaved so unusually. Tony wasn’t stupid. He knew that if they couldn’t break Odin’s spell, their options would be limited, at best. But to say something so callously. “Thor, what the fuck?”

 

“This doesn’t concern you, Anthony.”

 

“Oh, enough with that.” Tony stepped forward. “If it concerns Loki, it concerns me. Why is that such a hard concept to grasp?”

 

“Be still,  _ Hýrr,”  _ Loki turned away from Thor. “If Váli is in Valhalla, then that’s where we’ll go. With or without my fool of a brother.” He moved with his head held high until he was barely a foot away from Tony. “My Hel,” he spoke with so much fondness that it made Tony’s chest ache, “would you like to join us?”

 

Without hesitation Hel reached out and grasped Loki’s forearm. “Of course. It’s been too long since I’ve seen my family.” 

 

Tony retracted the gauntlet from around his left hand so that he could twine his fingers around Loki’s. “Home first?”

 

Loki nodded. “Home first.”

**Author's Note:**

> You can follow my fanfiction on tumblr, [@Haarii-the-Writer](https://haarii-the-writer.tumblr.com/) if that’s your thing! :D
> 
> You can also find my personal/main tumblr blog [@Haarii-the-Quilava](https://haarii-the-quilava.tumblr.com/)!
> 
>  
> 
> Hel~ I'm so happy to finally introduce her. She's so damned fun!
> 
> I REALLY had no plans of Thor being so antagonistic. But it happened. *siiigh*
> 
> All SpideyPool stuff is kind of on the backburner until I get this arc written out. Sorry SpideyPool fans. <3
> 
> Other update: Gonna be doing Kinktober 2018, so hopefully I'll get this arc done before October because otherwise um... this'll get updated even slower.


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